CalcWhenReading Time Calculator
1,000 words at the average adult reading speed of 200 words per minute takes 5 minutes to read — the classic “5-minute read” label on a 1,000-word article.
How it works
Blog platforms print “5 min read” because readers decide whether to start based on the commitment. Paste the text, set a reading speed, and get the honest estimate — minutes and seconds — plus the per-thousand-words intuition that makes lengths easy to compare.
Speed matters and varies more than people admit: 200 wpm is a fair adult average for ordinary prose, careful study reading runs nearer 100–150, and skimming can pass 400 while retaining far less. The speed field is yours to set.
The method
Time = word count ÷ words-per-minute, shown as minutes:seconds. Words are counted by splitting on whitespace. The slide rule of thumb (≈500 spoken words per content slide) is included for people turning written pieces into presentations.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average reading speed?
Around 200–250 words per minute for adults reading ordinary non-fiction silently. Fiction often reads faster; technical material slower. When in doubt, 200 is the honest middle.
How long is a 2,000-word article?
Ten minutes at 200 wpm. The calculator shows it instantly if you paste the text — or just halve/double: time scales linearly with length.
Why do reading-time labels differ between sites?
Different assumed speeds: some platforms use 200 wpm, some 265, some count images as extra seconds. The estimate here shows its speed assumption in the open.